Juventus 0-0 FC Barcelona: Player Ratings

Juventus v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League
Lionel Messi started the game from the bench

FC Barcelona secured qualification into the knockout stages with a goalless draw against Juventus in Turin. A draw means that the Catalans will qualify as the group winners with Juventus trailing by three points and also behind in the head to head statistics.

It was a cagey game throughout as both the sides lacked imagination in the final third to create a number of chances in the game. Lionel Messi was given a rest and was introduced near the hour mark. Let us take a look at how each player fared in a hard-fought European encounter between Juventus and FC Barcelona:


Juventus

Gianluigi Buffon: 6.5/10

The legend wasn't tested much and was merely a spectator in the second half. But he was caught out on Ivan Rakitic's freekick which struck the post.

Daniele Rugani: 6/10

The centre-back helped out his teammates in tricky situations with his positioning being excellent for the entire game. His reading of the game prevented many of Barcelona's threatening attacks.

Mehdi Benatia: 7.5/10

The former Bayern Munich man was Juventus' best player on the night. He defended by example, winning every duel, being strong in the air and making some timely interceptions in the second half. He never looked out of place against Luis Suarez.

Andrea Barzagli: 6

Shifting between the right centre back and right back according to Allegri's instructions, Barzagli was solid on the night. He tracked his man well and made some important clearances.

Alex Sandro: 4.5/10

The Brazilian has been a shadow of himself this season and has looked short on confidence. It was the same case against FC Barcelona with Sandro looking unimaginative at times. He didn't burst forward as he is used to and also switched off a couple of times in defending.

Sami Khedira: 4/10

Khedira's bad run of form continued as the defensive midfielder could not give much protection to his centre-backs. Khedira had few chances to dictate the proceedings but decided to play it safe at all those times.

Miralem Pjanic: 5.5/10

Pjanic was lively in the first half with his passing creating open spaces for the attackers to work upon. He made an unnecessary challenge in the first half and deserved a booking. The midfielder was substituted early in the second half.

Juan Cuadrado: 5/10

The Colombian had a solid first half attacking wise where he linked up brilliantly with Paulo Dybala. Cuadrado had a chance but blazed his shot over the post. Defensively, Cuadrado was switched off at times and allowed his man to pass him with ease. He then had a pretty average second half.

Douglas Costa: 6/10

The winger proved to be a driving force for Juventus against Barcelona. He tried to take on defenders whenever he got the opportunity and had a solo run thwarted by Ter Stegen.

Paulo Dybala: 6.5/10

Juventus v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League
The Argentine could have won the game in stoppage time

He was Juventus' brightest attacking spark. All of the home side's meaningful attacks passed through him and Dybala also had a chance to win it at the end. It was a brilliant opportunity which Dybala would have usually scored 9/10 times.

Gonzalo Higuain: 4/10

The striker made some runs and tried his best to make an influence but wasn't receiving the service he was hoping for. He was poor in the second half and looked extremely sluggish after the hour mark.

Substitutions

Rodrigo Bentancur: 6/10

He replaced Pjanic and got the job done at the end.

Claudio Marchisio: 6.5/10

The veteran midfielder did everything in the game in a short spell which Khedira was supposed to do from the start. Judging by both of their displays, Marchisio deserves a starting berth ahead of Sami Khedira.

Blaise Matuidi: N/A

The Frenchman did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.

FC Barcelona

Juventus v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League
FC Barcelona battled hard but could not find a winner

Marc Andre Ter Stegen: 7/10

Another game, another clean sheet for the German! Ter Stegen is having a dream season and this match proved his worth yet again. His distribution was on point and his stoppage-time save off Paulo Dybala made FC Barcelona remain unbeaten in Europe.

Lucas Digne: 6/10

Jordi Alba was given a rest which meant Lucas Digne received his much-awaited chance. He took his opportunity with both hands as the fullback looked assured in defence and dangerous going forward. He had a chance to score in the second half but decided to pass it to Luis Suarez (which was blocked) instead of taking a shot.

Gerrard Pique: 6.5/10

Pique was up against Gonzalo Higuain and handled the Argentine's threat quite well. Pique dominated the aerial dues and gave almost no space for Higuain to work with whenever the striker received a pass.

Samuel Umtiti: 6/10

The Frenchman has been one of Barcelona's best players this season and had another good outing for the Catalans. Though his passing was a little off, he did what he was supposed to do with perfection.

Nelson Semedo: 7/10

The youngster impressed yet again! Semedo burst forward at every instance and provided a good outlet on the right flank. He kept Alex Sandro in check and tracked him well throughout the game.

Sergio Busquets: 7.5/10

Busquets ran the show for FC Barcelona! He shielded his defenders brilliantly and also helped out to start attacks. The Spaniard also displayed some fine tricks to get out of tight spaces.

Paulinho: 5/10

Juventus v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League
Paulinho could not have an influence on the game

The Brazilian was deployed in an advanced position with Lionel Messi on the bench but he failed to create the right kind of impact. He had two shots on Buffon's goal but failed to trouble him in any capacity.

Ivan Rakitic: 5.5/10

Rakitic could have scored with a deep freekick as his delivery fooled everyone including the goalkeeper. But it hit the post and Juventus were spared the blushes. But his passing was off the mark and he also looked a bit passive without the ball.

Andres Iniesta: 5/10

The veteran tried his best to carve out a chance for the attackers but without Lionel Messi, he lacked a player ahead who understands his game. A not so good outing for the captain!

Gerard Deulofeu: 6/10

He had to be taken off for Lionel Messi to arrive but until then, Deulofeu had done enough to impress. He utilized the ball well and looked threatening with his pace. The former Everton forward should have stayed on the field.

Luis Suarez: 5/10

The striker was on a high after breaking his goalless run at the weekend but could not do much against Juventus. He could not get the better of Juventus' strong central defenders with his best chance coming from a free kick.

Substitutions

Lionel Messi: 6/10

Given a much-needed rest because of the number of minutes he had played until now, Messi could not influence the proceedings as he was supposed to in his half-hour cameo.

Jordi Alba: 5/10

Alba replaced Andres Iniesta in the last 10 minutes as Ernesto Valverde wanted to see out the game without any fuss. The left-back did manage to do that but not convincingly.

Quick Links

Edited by Shambhu Ajith
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications